forsch - the University of Bonn Magazine
What drives people at the University of Bonn? What do they experience? What are they researching, what moves them? Get to know this in the forsch.
forsch
Science and people in the spotlight
The university magazine 'forsch' is published up to three times a year and highlights researchers, employees and students and their research.
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Uni, und dann?
You should start thinking about life after university even while you are still studying. The Career Service at the University of Bonn can help you out here. The Career Service’s tips for students.
Visual Computing Incubator Generating Virtual Worlds
The metal dome stretches across the nearly seven-meter-high hall like a spider’s web. With the help of over 300 specially developed high-performance lighting modules, laser projectors, cameras and other optical sensors, it will be transformed over the next few months into a “capture stage” that will enable University of Bonn researchers to generate lifelike digital worlds. With its new Visual Computing Incubator (VCI), housed in a building on Am Propsthof, the University of Bonn is helping its researchers and local start-up entrepreneurs to conjure up virtual worlds. Close collaboration with the University’s own enaCom Transfer Center is creating an incubator and technological breeding ground for deep-tech start-ups. The state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) is providing around €3 million in funding for the pioneering technology.
Why Bonn University Ambassadors are representing the University of Bonn abroad
Having got to know the University of Bonn inside out during a research visit, the 15 active Bonn University Ambassadors are now performing an ambassadorial role for their German alma mater. They are all successful researchers at research institutions in other countries, where they tell interested students and fellow researchers about how they might study and work in Bonn. They also engage in close dialogue with researchers at the University through joint teaching, event and research formats and put people in touch with contacts abroad. Four Ambassadors tell us why they have chosen to represent their German alma mater and what they appreciate about our city.
“Pioneers Aren’t Born, They’re Made”
Professor Denise Fischer-Kreer accepted her appointment as Professor for Entrepreneurial Behaviour at the University of Bonn in October 2023. Her institute is part of the Faculty of Agricultural, Nutritional, and Engineering Sciences. In an interview, she explains why she offers her new business management module to all the faculties and what skills you need when setting up your own company.
“Ethical Behavior Needs a Global Mindset”
Experts gathered at the German Reference Center for Ethics in the Life Sciences (DRZE) at the University of Bonn to discuss “the rediscovery of bioethics.” The center, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, represented a landmark in bioethics research in Germany when it was founded. Climate change and artificial intelligence (AI) are just two of the many developments presenting us with new ethical challenges. The head of the DRZE, Professor Dirk Lanzerath, explains in an interview how bioethics has evolved, why individual autonomy is no longer enough and what makes solidarity key. What he has to say makes it clear that responsibility and ethical behavior need a global mindset.
P26 - at the heart of the city
Dear Readers,
Our University has opened a new chapter in its story right in the center of the city in the shape of P26. As well as enriching the architecture of the surrounding area, this extraordinary building also symbolizes the desire to make science accessible to all.
Hot or cold? Collaborative research in climate chambers
In the new climate chamber greenhouse, temperature, humidity and light are adjusted with maximum precision. This new high-tech facility enables plant experimentation under exactly controlled conditions. Recently opened at Nussallee 9, the University of Bonn’s new 656 sqm core facility has twelve climate chambers and a greenhouse. The facility is open to University of Bonn and outside research groups from many different fields to conduct experimentation, available by application.
Providing support: Deutschlandstipendium scholarship
The Deutschlandstipendium scholarship program seeks to support talented and high-achieving students from participating institutions who demonstrate a commitment to voluntary work. We asked a scholarship Holder and a donar about their experience and motives.
The Benefits of a Little Narcissism for Managers
Managers need to show leadership, inspire and motivate their staff, and establish good working conditions. Professor Gerhard Blickle, head of Work, Organizational and Industrial Psychology and his team are studying the personality traits that managers need in order to perform these diverse tasks. Their work has highlighted the importance of narcissism as a personality trait.
Editorial: Everything new from May
A new way of working: The university's administration has not only moved into a new building, but has also completely redesigned its physical workspace: with open spaces for collaborative working, multifunctional meeting rooms and much more. Healthy, modern and, of course, excellent to adequately support the university's researchers: That is the goal!
Logging or Habitats? Schoolgirls study trees in the Kottenforst
A forest is more than just a bunch of trees ... it is a treasure trove of the natural world! Some 75 pupils of the Liebfrauenschule who wanted to learn about forest ecosystems and biodiversity underwent training to become “Tree Experts” as part of the EU-funded MULTIPLIERS project coordinated by the University of Bonn. This spring they visited the “Marteloscope”, which is a kind of classroom out in the middle of the one-hectare Kottenforst in Bonn.
Digitale Zusammenarbeit erleben
Have you ever moved a church altar? This is no problem for art history students at the University of Bonn. Deploying cutting edge simulation technology to digitally explore the Schwarzrheindorf Doppelkirche and its almost 875-year history, they are able to jump from the upper church to the lower church gallery into the knave and then look up into the rafters. Dr. Christian M. Stracke, coordinator of the ViCo digitalization project tells us that “the immersive 3D world offers students many opportunities to discuss objects and frescoes". He is working to coordinate the introduction of pioneering digital collaboration tools at the University of Bonn to improve university teaching.
“Writing Can Be Fun”: How to write a successful term paper—in conversation with writing consultant Katja Reinicke
A blank sheet of paper, a blinking cursor on the screen. The deadline is looming ever-closer, yet you are unable to write anything useful: for many students, writing term papers constitutes a major challenge. From choosing a suitable topic to correct citation, there are a number of hurdles to success. If these seem insurmountable, you can seek support from the Studierendenwerk's writing advice service.
Gesucht. Gefunden. Erledigt
They are the hidden backbone of the University of Bonn: around 750 employees in the central administration ensure that the 7800 employees can work and research as efficiently as possible. With the new service portal, the University is making it easier to access the necessary information from the University administration. All content can be found in one place. For the first time, however, they have been fundamentally reorganized thematically, checked, revised and processes presented in a more comprehensible way. Many inquiries can now be triggered at the click of a mouse, true to the motto: “Requested. Found. Done”.
Wenn der „Digitale Zwilling“ warnt: Matthias Braun erforscht die ethische Bedeutung von Gesundheitssimulationen
Es ist Montag. Der eigene „digitale Zwilling“ warnt vor einem Herzinfarkt in vier Wochen und zwei Tagen. Er rät, dringend die Ernährung umzustellen und in der Herzklinik vorstellig zu werden – und rettet uns damit möglicherweise das Leben.
New Work behind a Historic Facade
A listed building and a cutting-edge working environment—how can they possibly work together? Very well indeed, as demonstrated by a project realized at the University of Bonn. With the University Main Building in pressing need of renovation, 300 employees have been moved from the historic palace just down the road to the former Deutscher Herold building on Poppelsdorfer Allee. Here they are currently working in an innovative office environment that promotes new collaborative working practices.
The University of Bonn energy strategy is working
The imposition of a package of sanctions on Russia in response to Vladamir Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine temporarily led to a drastic increase in energy costs. The University of Bonn responded to these developments by devising and implementing a University-wide energy strategy, which aimed to reduce energy consumption by 20 percent within a year—with impressive success, as a recent evaluation shows.
Where Canaanites “Covered ” the Ancient Egyptians
The track winds through sand and stone, taking its travelers where the Internet reception is poor and the starry night sky is magnificent. After a 10-year hiatus, egyptologist Ludwig Morenz and his team have returned to a remote camp near Serabit el Khadim. The researchers are working to digitize thousand-year old inscriptions. This is where alphabetic writing began, with the Canaanite transformation of the complicated Egyptian hieroglyphs into individual letters.
Learning to Understand Artificial Intelligence
Analyzing thousands of historical newspapers at the touch of a button, automatically detecting carcinomas and burial mounds: artificial intelligence will also change research. But what is the best way to go about it? The University of Bonn has developed a system that is unique in Germany, in which researchers and computer science students collaborate both in the development of AI and machine learning solutions and to reach a shared understanding of artificial intelligence and research data.
Digitalization Managers Network the Faculties at the University of Bonn
Every Monday, seven digitalization managers at the University of Bonn meet to discuss the digital future. From teaching and room planning tools to workflow automation and topics relating to the University’s overarching IT governance, they discuss ongoing digitalization projects in the faculties or pass on feedback from the faculties and departments. News, open questions and adjustments are all on the agenda in order to create bespoke digital structures for the University. Where are the stumbling blocks? Who still needs to be brought on board? Digital managers collaborate with key players in the University to create the structures for its digital transformation.
“Releasing Untapped Potential”
The University Council of the University of Bonn was established 15 years ago. No one knows the body better than Professor Dieter Engels, who has served as chairperson of the council for the last 10 years. Professor Engels recently embarked upon his third term of office. Andreas Archut caught up with him for an interview.
Gefahr = Angst? Wie unser Gehirn in Extremsituationen arbeitet
An African Savannah. Something is moving in the head-high grass. Your pulse quickens. Your pupils dilate. You grip your spear tighter. Suddenly, a massive elephant crashes through the grass. Hertz Professor Dominik Bach and his team use AI and virtual reality simulations of this and other similar scenarios to learn how the brain and body function in extreme situations so as to reach a greater understanding of these responses and work to address anxiety.
Tracking Down the “History of Ideas and Intellectual History of our World”
As a senior physician at a rehabilitation clinic at the Nordseeklinik Borkum hospital, Dr. Holger Aulepp looked after patients with chronic skin conditions and allergies. Following his retirement, he finally found time to devote his attention to Protestant theology—and also began funding archaeological trips for students out of his own pocket. This engagement was made permanent last year with the establishment of a foundation trust under the umbrella of the University of Bonn Foundation.
“Power and Domination is a Form of Communication”
Down the ages, power and domination have shaped how human beings have coexisted. “Power and Domination—the Bonn Center for Premodern Orders and their Forms of Communication” at the University of Bonn is studying the characteristics of regimes and how they communicated in premodern times, focusing particularly on rulers and the ruling elites. The researchers are incorporating angles taken from Egyptology, English studies, archaeology, German medieval studies, history, art history, Oriental and Asian studies and Romance studies and are covering a span from antiquity to the early modern period and from Central Europe to Egypt. In an interview, Prof. Dr. Matthias Becher, the Center’s Director and Spokesperson for the Present Pasts Transdisciplinary Research Area, discusses the research work that has been done to date and is lined up for the future.
Why Spend Two Weeks Rowing Down the Danube, Amadé?
Rowing like the Romans: when Sören Wader, Amadé Sirokay and Jakob Hetfleisch took up their invitation from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg to be part of the EU’s “Living Danube Limes” Interreg program, the three trainers from University Sports at the University of Bonn did not know much about their upcoming adventure down the Danube. In an interview, Amadé Sirokay talks about their two-week trip in a specially made oak boat that took them 120 kilometers from Budapest to Baja.
How the energy crisis has helped uncover potential savings
Few people will forget 2022 in a hurry. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the disruption it caused to the supply of raw materials sparked real fears of a severe energy shortage. Like many, the University was also forced to take action. It drew up an energy strategy that identified areas where savings could be made. Now the first figures have been released, showing how successful this has been.
How the Right Mindset Helps Students Overcome Anxiety
Quickly read to the end of your chapter, summarize the slides from your lecture, then pop to the shops, cook some dinner and put together a learning plan for your next written examination. The daily life of a student can often be highly stressful and demanding. But what happens when things get too much? When stress and strain boil over into anxiety? Many students are afflicted by a fear of failure, exam anxiety and self-doubt or even depressive moods. The Central Study Advisory and Counseling Service is there to show students that they are not alone.
Career Support and Funding for Female Academics at the University of Bonn
At German universities and colleges, significantly fewer women teach than men. According to the Federal Statistical Office, in 2022, only slightly over one-fourth of full-time professorships were occupied by women. From 2020 until now, the University of Bonn has sponsored 90 female scientists through the STEP program. We would like to introduce three of them.